The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-06-30

way, and that 10 the only city resort
where It is 90. The beach d broad one,
but Il 10 often almost literally packed
with workingmen and their sisters and
wives and little ones, frolickine In the
breakers. And don't believe you viii
see any such bathing anywhere else In
the world. Everybody there hangs to q
rope. The surface Of the water and the
cir lust above It for q hundred yards from
the shore are filled with . network Of
ropes, some supported ON floating buoys
and some tied to posts driven into the
sand. From the ropes overhead little
dangling ends Of rope depend TO the
waters surface, 80 that the beach has .
most strange appearance, - II It was the
submerged backyard Of . vast laundry
kept ready for drying clothes. The
women cling to the ropes and jump up
and down and scream in . manner sug-
gestive of physical torture, but intended
to betray ecstatic delight.
'Rockaway is distinctly the resort OF
the Irish, as Of the poor and Of the chill, !.
dren. Consequently there 10 plenty OF
fun and Of dancing and of good-fellow-
ship there. Fishermen also favor the
place, and the piers and small boats are
ever in demand by clerks and shopkeepers
down for days fishing. Of all the kinds
Of persons who 60 there or live there NO
one attempts what is called putting on
style;" no one swells about in . carriage;
NO one puts up palatial store or tavern
or building Of any kind. Plainness is
the rule with everybody and everything,
and when was there the other day Isaw
the proprietor of the principal hotel
playing pick-a-back with his little boy
and his wife conversing pleasantly with
her gardener.
But there Is another Rockaway that is
even more remarkable. 1t is called Far
Rockaway and is the next beach along
the coast The two Rockawsys were
famous resorts fifty years ago and Far
Rockaway is the newest Of the two, but
now seems the oldest. In its principal
hotel girls wait on the tables and you
light yourself to bed with . candle.
But the principal life there is no longer
in the hotels, for there has arisen there .
considerable cottage community, . very
big one, with horse-cars and long blocks of
city-like stores. This is on the mainlan 4
and skirts broad and beautiful bay o.
sound with narrow reef Of sand beyond
to keep out the oce an. This reef of sand
is whe re the long lines of wooden bath
houses are and to get to it you must ride
over in sloop at one of two ferries. Big
stan ch boats, that carry huge sails and
are captained by hardy young sea-dogs
from Patchogue and Babylon, are what
are used and very pretty indeed do they
cause the green bay to look as they dip
and careen along, flashing their canvas
in the sunlight and carrying their cock
pits full of pretty girls and laughter
loving beaux. The sail across is lovely.
There is almost always a wind stirring
and crowd of good company aboard.
Once across on the reef the main busi-
ness is bathing, and it is bathing of
very different sort from that at which we
were just looking in old Rockaway.
Here are no ropes at all-nothing but
the ever-sounding pillows and the broad
ribbon of white sand to race and frolic
and rest upon. The bathing houses are
of the primitive kind, but not at al SO
are the bathers, for while the main ele-
ment of the cottage life is composed of
the families of persons in moderate cir
cumstances, there is an off-shoot of the
place called Cedarhurst and another
called Wave Crest, inhabited by very
gether in this little spit of sand, and
hundreds have their own bathing robes
kept there for them. Very pretty and
dainty some of the bathing dresses Of
the ladies look-all of white flannel or OF
red or blue, decked with bows and pretty
collars and braid at . cost of inventive
fancy and sometimes of money such %
might well accompany the production of
ball or reception gown. The beach looks
very gay indeed when crowded with
fashion and beauty, and you may be sure
there is little lack of the masculine ele-
ment in such place.
At night Far Rockaway takes another
phase Of its character. 1t is lovers
paradise. The quiet village streets
abound with young couples, happy in
the enjoyment of being together, car
riage riding or walking, and the bay is
filled with sailing and boating parties,
making the moonlit scene melodious
with their singing and their merry peals
of laughter. Here and there the parlors
are lighted brilliantly, and dancing
parties are in progress, while at the
hotels hops and social entertainments
are very frequent. Far Rockawsy is
altogether delightful place. Where it
is primitive it is hearty, democratic and
solid. Where it is modern it is gay and
lively. Its still water frontage doubles
e q q s o